Whoa!! This post has been sat in my draft box for a while now, while I figured out where I wanted it to go. I’ve just finished it and realised – to my complete amazement – that today is Thanksgiving Day!. Now I may be British, and we may not celebrate Thanksgiving, but read on to find out why that’s relevant to this post….

Sorry I’ve been AWOL for a while, but I’ve been wallowing in a pit of self-pity. And driving. Mostly driving. Picking kids up, dropping them off, driving to work, driving home… I’m considering buying a campervan and selling my house – I’m hardly there!

The past 5 weeks have been emotionally and physically draining and this weekend I really reached the point where I didn’t think I could keep pushing on any further. On Monday, I did the unthinkable. I called in sick at work! Shock horror!

Last night, after my girls were tucked up in bed, I started to think about the horrible things happening in the news at the moment and my usually anxiety-fuelled thoughts started running through my head. What kind of world have I brought my children into, where they might not be safe on a train, at a theatre, in church or at school? And then suddenly, another thought popped into my head. It said “Stop”.

In a world full of terrorist attacks, mass shootings, disease, poverty and natural disasters, my little girls are tucked up in bed, fast asleep, blissfully unaware of the real world problems that are happening elsewhere. For now, they are safe. I need to stop worrying about the things I can’t change and be grateful for the blessings I already have.

I had been planning to write a long and moping blog post about all the difficulties I’m currently having, the stress and worry I face almost every day and the fact that, once again, my life isn’t going the way I’d planned. But instead, I’m going to write about why those very same problems make me a very lucky lady.

When I’m overwhelmed by the amount of housework that I still haven’t done, I will be grateful for the fact that I have a beautiful home to live in, to keep my children warm and safe in this very cold winter.

When my little girl is back-chatting me and driving me crazy with her twisted 5-year old logic, I’m grateful that I can hear her voice. There are people in this world who would do anything to speak to their children today.

When I can’t be bothered to cook a meal, I’ll remember that there are people in the world who don’t have any food to cook, or a place to cook it.

Work may be hectic and stressful but that means that I am healthy enough to go to work all day and support my family.

Christmas this year may not be a time of unsullied joy and happiness, but at least I will spend it surrounded by loving family and my beautiful children. Not all people will have the freedom to do the same.

My diary may be so full that I barely get a moment to catch my breath, but that’s because I have an abundance of family and friends who want to spend time with me and cheer me up when I’m feeling down.

I’m sure I could go on, but I won’t. My point is, even in times where everything feels like it’s going wrong, it’s important to stop and remember all the many blessings you do have. There are so many upsetting things in this world, and I am sure that no matter what is happening in my life, somebody out there has it far worse.

So today, I am not wallowing. I am grateful. I am incredibly blessed and loved and I can’t really ask for more than that.

So, you see, no matter where you live or what religion you follow, it never hurts to stop and think about everything you have to be thankful for. We often get so caught up thinking about what we don’t have, that we forget to appreciate the things we do! What are you thankful for today?